Tangling with the James gang
Then again, as good as LeBron was, and as fearsome as Shaq was, the shot that iced this game for the Cavaliers was a Hail Mary shot from halfcourt by Mo Williams, a desperate attempt to beat the shot-clock buzzer, with four minutes left. After that, the oxygen content in the Ford Center dropped to next to nothing, as Cleveland put the hurt on Oklahoma City, 102-89.
The Cavs, in fact, hit rather a lot of treys, particularly in the fourth quarter, but they didn’t have to: they ratcheted up the defense in the final frame, holding the Thunder to 13 points in twelve minutes. Cleveland had a 42-36 edge on the boards and shot 47.6 percent. And there was LeBron. I marvel at the man’s sheer strength: I got the feeling that if someone ran a locomotive into the backcourt, he’d just calmly swat it away. King James rolled up 44 points, served up six assists, grabbed seven rebounds and four steals. Mo Williams contributed 22 to the cause, and Shaq — well, he was Shaq. He may not be as fast as he used to be, but he can still keep you away from the rim.
The Thunder’s fourth-quarter dry spell dropped them to 43.5 percent shooting; they hit only four of 12 treys. (LeBron had five all by himself; the Cavs made 11 of 22.) Kevin Durant got his usual 29 and Jeff Green squeezed out 26, despite the drought. But here’s the scary number: OKC got 29 in the first quarter, and 35 in the third and fourth combined.
Also scary: the Nuggets, whom the Thunder will play in Denver tomorrow night, and who have lost exactly one home game all season. This is going to be a long week.
Kay Dennison »
13 December 2009 · 11:32 pm
Those are my guys!!!! I really enjoyed the game!!!!
CGHill »
14 December 2009 · 7:36 am
There was one scene early on when LeBron landed at the sidelines and filched a couple of French fries from a kid in a Thunder jersey. Kid just smiled, high-fives were exchanged, and life went on.